B.A.D. run 24th January

We have just finished another Bikers Against Drugs run in Saldanha, and let me tell you it is a very hot day today, temperatures in the high 20's, but it was a good one and we made a good impression. I don't know if anyone counted the bikes but there must easily have been 60 or 70 bikes with close to 100 big hearted bikers.

I finished work early yesterday, unfortunately not early enough to go and play pool with Frank which is what we usually do on a Friday, but there was time to wash the big red machine in preparation for the run. It wasn't really dirty, but washing it is a labour of love as I have told you, I put my AC/DC cd on the hi fi and turned it up loud and got busy. Pretty soon I had her looking like new, I used my fancy chrome polish on the xzorst and shone it up like a mirror, I enjoyed myself and was looking forward to the ride.

Janet got home from work at about 4.30 and I had to go and turn the music off, put some country music on but I was finished with the bike anyway, Janet is not partial to my heavy metal taste in music and tends to get quite vociferous about it!

Anyway that was yesterday, this morning dawned clear and calm and just before 10am we mounted up and went to the garage for petrol and then headed to the sports club where everyone was gathering.A good crowd had already gathered and more were arriving all the time, the TV crew were also there and we all did our best to get noticed. At 1030 we mounted up, and with an escort of several traffic police vehicles with sirens blaring we headed into Saldanha in an incredibly impressive procession.

We rode through the town and then through the two areas which are the most affetcted by the drug scourge; White City where the people lined the streets and the children ran excitedly after us encouraging the riders to rev the motorbikes, the pillion riders handed out the pamphlets to the youngsters.

This was the fourth anti drugs run that local bikers have organised and this time many bikers came up from Capetown just to take part, I hope that it made the right impression with the people who count; the youngsters. "TIK" methamphetamine is a terrible problem in the western cape, including Capetown, amongst the Coloured population in particular and anything that we can do to help is a move in the right direction.

I hope these children take note of what they saw and learned today. The run ended at the sports ground in Diazville where the Mayor made an impassioned speech thanking the local bikers for the fact that we cared enough about the future of the children to get involved, it was a "feel-good" occasion and we all enjoyed it.It wasn't long, particularly in that heat, before we had to head off and partake in our own drug of choice though. Gradually the bikers all dispersed in the direction of the "Drop Anchor" bar where there was a good stock of ice cold beers.

The beers went down "singing hymns" and soon the pub was crowded with thirsty bikers, I did tell you that bikers are good people didn't I, have you been out to hug one yet?

Tomorrow we are going for a local cruise and lunch at "Beira Mar", I am looking forward to that and hoping that Don has got my whole baby Yellowtail on the menu, I will tell you about that tomorrow.